Conservative MP Peter Goldring says the time is right to revive a proposal for Turks and Caicos to join Canada, now that the islands’ self-government has been reinstated.

Goldring will meet Turks and Caicos Premier Rufus Ewing at a private reception in Toronto on Wednesday night for a rendez-vous characterized as networking as opposed to official government business.

“They’re interested certainly in exploring what economic issues can be advanced with the Turks and Caicos in Canada,” Goldring told iPolitics. “I’m looking forward to this evening’s discussion and hopefully can relay some of that information on to Ottawa as well.”

Goldring has been an advocate of increased cultural and economic ties between the Turks and Caicos Islands and Canada for 10 years. But the discussion cooled in 2009, when Britain temporarily imposed direct rule on its overseas territory after serious corruption allegations were made against the then-government. Ewing, who was elected in 2012, is the islands’ first premier since the suspension.

Goldring has visited the Caribbean islands several times and says they would fit in nicely with the rest of Canada.

“You notice the Bank of Nova Scotia, you notice Canadian businessmen all over the place, and of course Canadian tourism.”

But Canada stands to gain more than simply a vacation destination from such a union, he said.

“From my perspective, certainly it goes far behind sun and sand. South Caicos Island, for example, is on a deep water channel. It could be readily developed into a deep-water port, which would give Canada tremendous advantage for trans-shipment throughout the entire region.”

He added the islands would be a strategic location from which to increase engagement with Haiti and Cuba.

The idea of uniting has been around since 1917, when then-prime minister Robert Borden suggested Canada annex the islands. In 2004, Nova Scotia’s three parties voted unanimously to let Turks and Caicos join their province if they ever became part of Canada. But the proposal regularly falls off the table over concerns about immigration, tourism and economic issues.

Goldring dismissed oft-cited concerns about the islands becoming a refugee destination. He noted that Hawaii used to be subject to the same skepticism about refugee claims and property purchases.

“Of course they’ve got to explore it and see what the risks are, but an island with a population of 25,000 I think is doable,” he said.

“Canadians travel north and south, we don’t travel east and west in large numbers. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a north-south common location?”